Murray Bridge remains one of Australia’s hottest property markets in 2026
Demand for local real estate is still strong despite recent price rises, says Raine and Horne Murraylands’ Casey DeMichele.
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As 2026 begins, Murray Bridge remains one of Australia’s hottest real estate markets, and it doesn’t look like slowing down soon.
The rural city was recently named among the nation’s “hot 100” suburbs to watch this year by the experts at realestate.com.au.
The numbers are all positive for property owners:
- The median sale price in Murray Bridge was $545,000, up 17 per cent on a year ago and 138% over the past decade
- The median rent charged by local landlords was $480 per week, up 7% for the year
- That represented an annual yield of 4.5% for property investors, on top of whatever value gains a home might have made over the same period
Raine and Horne Murraylands property consultant Casey DeMichele says those numbers match up with what she is seeing on the ground.
Even over the Christmas and new year break, her team has continued to field enquiries from local buyers and interstate investors.
“We’re still going strong,” she says.
“The year has kicked off with a lot of enquiries from a range of different buyers, and they’re not necessarily honing in on a particular style of property – it’s anything and everything in the area.
“The attention in the media that Murray Bridge is getting is bringing a lot of new buyers to the area, wanting to get their piece (of the action).”
Have prices peaked yet?
Every indicator suggests that price rises are likely to continue in Murray Bridge, already the top-performing property market in Australia since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Values have gone up by about $100,000 since the last time we asked whether the Murraylands’ property market had topped out, 18 months ago.
But ours remains more affordable than other markets, making it attractive to investors.
If you’re waiting for a downturn before you buy, Casey suggests that you might want to think again.
“The longer you wait, the higher the prices are going to be,” she says.
“Obviously anything can happen, but the way that the market is going, it looks like prices will continue to rise.”
Time-on-market remains low
Homes have continued to sell quickly, for the most part, though there are limits.
Properties which are overpriced relative to others on the market may still sit around for a while.
Despite the strong demand, Casey still recommends advertising a property and selling on the open market.
“You never know who’s out there,” she says.
“We could easily sell properties without going on the market, but (by) taking it to the market you increase your buyer pool, and there could be a buyer out there who’s willing to pay a lot more money.
“In some cases, clients do just want to move (a property) on, and we do have a significant database of buyers we can take those properties to, but in most cases it’s still best to take it to the market with a strong marketing campaign, with our social media tools and quality photography.”
Rents are at record highs, and smaller homes are in demand
In good news for landlords, rents in the Murraylands continue to climb higher.
Median rental prices in country South Australia have increased by 7.5% over the past year, according to realestate.com.au, more than double the increase experienced in Adelaide.
Locally, rental increases have actually been strongest for smaller homes, Raine and Horne Murraylands residential property manager Henry Cahillane says.
That’s purely because so many of the new homes being built are bigger, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
“Some (landlords) have had to adjust their expectations a little bit – they might have hoped to get a slightly higher rental return,” he says.
“It can be a limiting factor ... that supply issue.”
By contrast, any two-bedroom rental properties are being snapped up almost immediately, he says.
Talk to the local experts
Whether you’re thinking of buying, selling, renting or renting out your property, talk to the team at Raine and Horne Murraylands, the agency with more sales than any other in Murray Bridge over the past 12 months.
- More information: Visit www.raineandhorne.com.au/murraylands, call 8532 3833 or drop into Raine and Horne Murraylands’ office at 4 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge.
Advertising to more than 20,000 highly engaged locals can do wonders for your business. Call Jane Intini on 0418 835 768 or email jane@murraybridge.news.
Peri Strathearn
